XR Talks: AR Growth Will Be About Consumer Education

Though some of the biggest challenges in bringing AR to market are technical in nature, cultural and practical challenges also loom. And the biggest barrier is possibly consumer education.

This was one of many takeaways at a recent panel discussion at Google’s SF offices, organized by TiE Silicon Valley (video below). The education challenge also seems to be one that threads universally accross different types of AR companies, represented by the panel.

“As much as we can eloquently articulate what our display does, seeing is really believing,” said Avegant Director of Product Management Steve Medina. “The strongest validation of making the experience more immersive and real is how people act when they’re getting our demo.”

The challenge persists in VR too. This goes back to the double-edged sword of immersive technologies discussed in ARtillry’s latest report. The great capacity for immersive and visceral experience also means it can’t be replicated in marketing…. You have to see it to believe it.

This challenge will recede over time as AR & VR capture mainstream consumer markets. But we’ll also see accelerants like ARkit and ARcore bring AR into consumers hands (literally) at scale. We’ll get to see that process really gain steam after Apple’s event on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, companies like Avegant, RoOomy and Aira are taking focused approaches to AR applicability and opportunity. Hear the rest of their comments and moderator Linda Jacobson in the full session video below. The segment about consumer education can be seen here.

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Disclosure: ARtillry has no financial stake in the companies mentioned in this post, nor received payment for its production. Disclosure and ethics policy can be seen here.